General merchandise manager vs area manager

The differences between general merchandise managers and area managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a general merchandise manager and an area manager. Additionally, a general merchandise manager has an average salary of $113,362, which is higher than the $73,472 average annual salary of an area manager.

The top three skills for a general merchandise manager include customer service, inventory control and front end. The most important skills for an area manager are customer service, safety standards, and logistics.

General merchandise manager vs area manager overview

	General Merchandise Manager	Area Manager
Yearly salary	$113,362	$73,472
Hourly rate	$54.50	$35.32
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	277,177	341,983
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

General merchandise manager vs area manager salary

General merchandise managers and area managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Merchandise Manager	Area Manager
Average salary	$113,362	$73,472
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $185,000	Between $50,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Clifford Chance
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between general merchandise manager and area manager education

There are a few differences between a general merchandise manager and an area manager in terms of educational background:

	General Merchandise Manager	Area Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General merchandise manager vs area manager demographics

Here are the differences between general merchandise managers' and area managers' demographics:

	General Merchandise Manager	Area Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between general merchandise manager and area manager duties and responsibilities

General merchandise manager example responsibilities.

Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.
Maximize sales in jewelry, electronics, home appliances, and all apparel departments.
Assist in all administrative responsibilities including opening and closing store, organization standards, scheduling and payroll processing.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

Area manager example responsibilities.

Manage the recruitment, hiring, training and development of all depot distribution staff.
Used creativity and persistence to create new sales leads and run all provide leads.
Mark by achieving district s top shrink and performance (e.g., CPR) rates.
Manage Sortation area operations and escalate customer order fulfillment issues.
Manage operations in accordance with all regulatory (HSE) requirements and company procedures/guiding principles.
Implement and manage contracts for Medicaid while maintaining excellent relationships with key local agency executives.

General merchandise manager vs area manager skills

Common general merchandise manager skills

Customer Service, 26%
Inventory Control, 10%
Front End, 10%
Sales Floor, 8%
Loss Prevention, 6%
Inventory Management, 5%

Common area manager skills

Customer Service, 18%
Safety Standards, 10%
Logistics, 8%
Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
Business Plan, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 4%

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General Merchandise Manager
General Merchandise Manager vs Area Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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